I Ain't Him
by SuzuranCrow23
Summary: Malcolm Reynolds was having a normal day until confronted by a woman claiming to know him as 'Richard Castle'. Only, Mal has no idea who she's gorram talkin' about. But damn if she wasn't pretty for an Alliance spy.
1. Chapter 1

I'm a huge fan of both tv shows and I've enjoyed reading people's crossovers of them. But I decided to make my own because most of the crossovers feature Castle as being Mal and hiding it from everyone. I wanted to see what the character of Mal would be like if he met Beckett.

Anyways, hope you enjoy :)

(Recently edited slightly)

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><p>Malcolm Reynolds had been having an ordinary day before found her that is. Well, as normal as his day could possibly be - there had been that small incident where they had almost crash-landed on Persephone because Wash's flying was so out of control. And Kaylee yet again was demanding her Captain buy that overly-expensive engine part they 'needed', Mal assured her that they could do fine without it for a couple more months...he hoped. If not, they'd probably combust and cease to live, but it wouldn't be the first time Mal had almost died and it wouldn't be the last.<p>

His gorram boat was just falling apart, and they were barely scraping the bottom of the barrel as it was. Mal knew he had to find a job - the higher the pay, the better. Of course that meant there was a higher chance of getting killed - but who hasn't been shot at least once before? Mal shook his head lightly as he pondered the thought - he had over six bullet wounds, not to mention the scars from his other assorted war wounds. He headed down towards the cargo hold, he didn't even need to look where he was going - he could find his way blindfolded on Serenity. Mal stroked the metal banisters fondly as he walked down the stairs, aiming to check the cargo they smuggled from their last job-gone-wrong before any more passengers boarded. He was intending on selling the cargo in Beaumonde, he was reckless enough anyhow - they needed the money desperately.

His line of thought was interrupted when Mal found himself thrown across the hold as a piercing white light blasted through his vision. It took at least a minute for his hearing to come back to normal from the high-pitched ringing.

Mal jumped to his feet quickly - after being in the war, he was used to bombs and other explosions going off around him. And yet, there was no debris or holes in his boat - obviously the bomb attempt had gone wrong somehow, although it did leave him slightly deaf in his left ear.

Mal figured that some _'liou coe shway duh biao-tze huh hoe-tze duh ur-tze'_ (stupid son of a drooling whore and monkey) had planted a bomb in one of the crates they'd picked up - probably Badger. What he didn't expect to find was a female figure lay sprawled on the smooth metal floor - like an angel.

_"Wuh duh ma huh tah duh fong kwong duh wai shung,"_ (Holy mother of God and all her wacky nephews) he murmured, gazing at her in confusion.

She was gorram beautiful he'd give her that - maybe moreso than any companion he'd ever seen before - including Inara. She was quite pale, she'd probably never worked a full day in her life. Her hair was auburn, falling around her face in neat, loose curls. Her lips were full and red - Mal reckoned she probably had a killer pout. Her clothes were strange though - the pants were some form of older denim, with heeled boots - definitely a working woman, he grinned.

But then something pulled him out of his mini-catalogue of the woman - she had a gun, and it looked like a fed's gun.

He cursed loudly "_Tai-kong suo-yo duh shing-chiou sai-jin wuh duh pee-goo_," (Shove all the planets in the universe up my ass).

He hated the gorram Alliance.

The woman suddenly stirred, her long eyelashes fluttering open as they landed on him. She frowned, the creases on her forehead giving her a more older and experienced look.

"Castle? Where are we? What happened?" she questioned slowly, looking him up and down in confusion.

Mal frowned, not liking the familiar tone she was using to talk to him with.

"I don't know who you think I am - but I ain't him. I want t'know who in the gorram 'verse you are, and what the hell you're doin' on my boat!" he spoke harshly, his hand reaching down to his gun in his leather holster.

The woman's eyes followed his hand and widened fully in disbelief and shock.

"C-castle?" she murmured.

"Rick?" she whispered, her hands shaking until her eyes rolled back and she fell backwards - Mal managed to catch her before she impacted with the floor.

A ghost of a smile hovered on his face as he notice how well she fit in his arms - until he remembered that she was probably an Alliance spy. Then his face hardened as he carried her towards the Doc's room. 'He ought to be earnin' his way 'round here anyway,' Mal reasoned. He'd wait til she woke up, and then the questioning would begin - without any fainting.

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><p>Hope you enjoyed it - Review and alert ^_^<p> 


	2. Don't Belong Here

Yay, update! :D It's a little bit slow, but I have to sort of allow Beckett to absorb all of the information.  
>Thank you for your reviews: TMPaladin and qtgirl :)<p>

Okay, any ideas or improvements - I'm all ears. Enjoy, and review ^_^ (btw, this storyline is sort of in between Firefly and Serenity)

Edited

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><p>Kate groaned in pain as she opened her eyes - they were met with a bright, disarming light. The room was small, she could only make out small shapes behind the windows. The light seemed to reflect off every item in the room. The bed she was lay on seemed to be similar to a hospital bed. She felt herself sit up in an attempt to alleviate the dizziness she was feeling. But, a hand suddenly pushed her back down, forcefully.<p>

She looked up and saw Rick. Or rather, it wasn't Rick. She could see it more clearly now - previously she had assumed Castle was wearing that ridiculous Space-Cowboy Halloween costume, but this man wasn't wearing it like a costume - it fitted him, molded into him like armour. And his face...it was filled with lines, but not the lines Castle had procured from laughing too much. No, this man looked broody and moody, his dark eyes burning holes into hers - devoid of any kindness or love that Castle had for her.

Love...she could still remember that day she was shot by the sniper - the day Castle had confessed to loving her. She was so close... so close to catching up with him, until he had decided that he couldn't wait any longer for her. At least, that's what Beckett assumed, judging from the blonde bimbo he was dating now.

She was pulled out of her torrent of thoughts by a cool voice:

"Excuse me? Miss.. Do you know what your name is?" the well-mannered voice came from a young man wearing some form of a waistcoat with a fine-pressed shirt.

She blinked a few times, noticing the sharp instrument in his hand - she realised he was the doctor.

"Beckett. Kate Beckett," she answered, swallowing from the discomfort of talking with a dry throat.

He nodded, smiling whilst passing her a small cup of water - Kate took it gratefully, gulping it down straight away.

"Well how do we know she ain't just gorram lying?" a rough voice questioned. It belonged to a huge ape of a man, looming over her in a threatening manner.

Beckett glared at the man, not being accustomed to allowing people to step all over her and accuse her of lying.

"Why would I lie about my name?" she asked, staring at the few people stood in front of her.

The doppelganger stared her down, leaning against the frame of the door. Beckett only then noticed, that the walls were made of an odd metallic material. Before she could question them about it, she was interrupted:

"Cos you're probably an Alliance spy, that's why," the Rick-lookalike answered.

"Wait, what's the Alliance? Who are you and where the hell am I?" she demanded, trying to stand up to appear more intimidating.

"Like you don't already know," the ape answered, sneering at her menacingly.

"Jayne," a woman warned - she looked like an amazon warrior, tall and dangerous. Her hair and skin were both dark yet beautiful, Beckett could tell that she had seen her fair share of fighting.

'Jayne' merely shook his head, cursing in what seemed to be Chinese.

She glanced up at him again, her mind deciding that it was all a hallucination and that the man was actually Rick playing a trick on her.

"Castle." she stated, staring at him - not paying attention to every other person in the room who seemed to look at her in confusion.

"Look lady, I already told you - I ain't this Castle guy. I'm Malcolm Reynolds, and you're on my gorram boat," he hissed, glaring down at her.

"A -a boat?" she murmured, still trying to wrap her head around the fact that this man wasn't called Rick.

"Yeah, a space ship, a boat - whatever you wanna gorram call it," he stated, his dark blue eyes boring into hers.

Beckett suddenly knew what coma patients felt like; coming back into a world that wasn't the one you used to live in. She slowed her breathing down, gazing at the floors in an attempt to make sense of the situation like she was taught at the academy. She shouldn't panic, there was obviously a logical explanation for it all.

"River, you shouldn't be in here," the doctor murmured in concern, to the dark haired girl that had stepped into the room.

She was bare foot, pale and wearing a dark blue dress that stopped below the knee. Beckett somehow felt like she knew the girl, her curious face seemed so familiar.

"Don't belong here," she whispered, her dark eyes gazing into Kate's.

"But you could. The He that was is not like the He that is, and the You that was is not like the You that could be," she reasoned, her finger pointing towards Beckett's head.

Castle, no. Reynolds stared in disbelief, his eyes looking upwards as though asking the gods what he had done to deserve this.

"Okay little albatross, what in the gorram 'verse are you talkin' about, huh?" he questioned, grabbing the girl's arm "Is she a Fed or what?"

River turned to face Malcolm, "Not for you to know," she spoke mysteriously "and she isn't,"

"Then why's she got that gun?" Jayne questioned, holding up Beckett's gun, dangling it on his huge little finger.

"Needed protection on the Earth-that-was," River stated.

All eyes turned to stare at her questioningly, Beckett swallowed nervously, suddenly wishing that Castle was beside her right now. Only, he was in a way.

"I'm a cop - I, uh. I catch criminals and murderers," she answered, staring at Reynolds.

Jayne snorted loudly, "Great, what's she gonna do with us then?" he asked, sizing up to Reynolds.

Unlike Castle, Reynolds was an intimidating man. He squared up to Jayne, "If River says she's safe, then she's safe. For now," he replied, glancing momentarily at Kate "So if you've got a problem Jayne...keep it to yourself."

Jayne scowled and marched out of the door, obviously barging into someone judging by the loud curse of '_Go tsao de_ (Dog fucking) idiot, watch where you're going,"

Reynolds stared at the others "Zoe, tell Wash we're not stayin' in Persephone, we're goin' straight to Beaumonde."

'Zoe' nodded, not even pausing to question him.

Reynolds approached Beckett, his tall presence making her shudder in fear slightly.

"Now, i'll let you stay on my boat 'til you find your feet. But until then, you keep your mouth shut and you follow my orders. You do not harm my crew or I harm you. You do not steal from me, or I'll drop you off at the nearest backwater planet we find." As he spoke, his eyes never broke contact with hers - they seemed darker than Rick's, more dangerous. His voice was full of power and authority - he was used to being listened to.

Her mouth opened, and then closed. She didn't know what to say to this man, this stranger. She couldn't find any familar ground, only the fact that both of them knew how to handle a gun - a fact she was reminded of by the gun hanging on his holster.

The dark woman slowly entered back into the room, quietly and carefully.

"Cap'n, we have some company," Zoe spoke, staring her 'Captain' down in an alert of danger.

"What is it?" he questioned, staring at her in confusion "We shouldn't be near no ships yet."

"It's reavers sir," she replied uneasily.

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><p>Dun dun DUN! Lol, failed attempt at a cliffhanger. I will try to update soon though :) Reviews make my day - I literally grin when I read them ^_^<p> 


	3. Sign of Good Fortune

I'm so sorry for the long wait - i've been so busy with applying to University. I hope I'll be able to keep updating more frequently.

Thanks for all of the support, please review - i'd love to hear your thoughts and ideas ;)

Edited

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><p>"What the hell are reavers?" Kate questioned, her instinctive detective side arising from her previously frightened one.<p>

The tall dark-skinned warrior woman stared her down, her eyes had widened in disbelief.

"You don't know what reavers are?" she asked, glancing at her still Captain for support.

Beckett shook her head, her auburn curls bouncing side to side.

"Sir?" Zoe asked, looking towards Mal to back her.

Mal stared at the newly acquired passenger and reasoned that she couldn't be lying - she'd have no reason to.

He nodded in permission at his First Mate, before sprinting out of the infirmary to shout orders at his crew and pray to God that they weren't boarded.

Zoe inhaled slowly, "Reavers. They used to be men not long ago, but they were driven mad by the empty space."

Kate's eyebrows furrowed as she tried to imagine space, she'd watched movies of course but nothing could actually prepare anyone for being in space for real.

"What will happen to us if they, um, board?" Beckett could barely find the right words to communicate what she meant.

"If they take the ship, they'll rape us to death, eat our flesh and sew our skin into their clothing. And if we're very, very lucky. They'll do it in that order," the first mate finished, her dark eyes revealing coldness that Kate hadn't seen earlier.

Beckett's face paled at the description that 'Zoe' had painted for her, she couldn't imagine such a horrific image - and she had seen plenty of brutal murder scenes in her entire career.

She found herself swallowing in fear, and coming face to face with the young girl.

Her eyes were wide and seemed to know more than she let on, "Don't worry, Mal won't let that happen. He'll take care of you, now and always,"

Kate blinked slowly; the girl had a look in her eyes that screamed of experience; alike to Esposito, it seemed as though she had been in a war of some kind.

She followed River into a corridor; it all looked the same to her, cold, metal and grey.

'Rick would love it here,' she thought, remembering how much of a geek Castle was when it came to sci-fi.

The ship hummed with life, the floor beneath her boots vibrated; it made her feel overly uneasy, just thinking about being in space where she could float off into endless infinity.

And yet, part of her felt a rush of adrenaline at realising it was like she was in a TV show; like her beloved Nebula 9 it was as though she was being given a chance to find herself. Maybe this was meant to happen; maybe she wasn't meant to be a part of Rick's life anymore.

However, unlike Nebula 9; this was real, or at least it was a very vivid dream.

Reavers. They sounded like something out of an awful fairy-tale; one told to children in order to make them sleep.

She felt River glance behind at her, perhaps she knew what Kate was thinking about; yet she offered no comfort.

They made their way through the endless maze of corridors; it felt like déjà vu every time they turned a corner; Kate knew she wouldn't be able to escape, even if she had a means of doing so.

River stepped up a sturdy set of stairs; it led into what a sci-fi geek would call a 'bridge'. It was there Kate saw Reynolds again.

His steely eyes glared out into the vast space; the lines on his face hardened as they regarded the ship heading towards them.

Even Kate could tell it was in a bad state; smoke swirled out of the vents, it looked like skeletons were attached to the helm of it; it made Kate feel sick to the stomach.

Despite her fear, she found herself straighten up; she was not going to die so easily, not after her near-death experience.

Mal turned to glance at her, noting the way her shoulders pulled back and her face hardened into a strong resolved one. He could almost imagine her catching criminals and ridding the earth-that-was of evil. His hands dug into the seat Wash was in, hoping that any god in the 'verse would listen to his prayers. His crew was a good one; they were mighty fine compared to ones he'd had before. And he'd rather die than see Kaylee or River hurt by those monsters.

The four in the cockpit silenced; only heavy breathing could be heard. Yet, all could imagine the unheard quickening of heartbeats, the rush of adrenaline slowly filling their veins. The ship careering towards them seemed to speed up, feeding on their fears.

Kate found it entirely inappropriate to be inwardly sniggering at the toy dinosaurs covering the pilots' control board. She couldn't help but wonder what sort of motley crew this Captain Reynolds had; a young woman who seemed not all there, a giant man with the brains of a pig, an Amazonian warrior with a cold stare, a soft doctor who could cause no harm and a pilot who made jokes far too often.

When her eyes caught Reynolds' her breathing paused, he was like a fictional warrior; his body was coiled like a spring, ready to jump into action at a moment's notice. She noticed the way he cautiously sized her up, his eyes lingering on her gun at her hip. Although, he seemed to accept her presence, despite his glaring.

'He must trust the young girl,' she supposed, her eyes darting at the front.

With every breath the ship seemed to approach, the tension made the room stifling and unable to move in. She felt sick; she wanted to go home, just so she could hear a stupid comment from Castle. But of course, Castle had moved on. It made her heart swell with sorrow.

"Thank the gods," the pilot spat out, his hands moving up to grab his hair frantically.

"Ain't no gods watchin' over us out here Wash," Reynolds replied cynically.

The ship veered out of course, missing theirs by an inch.

Kate could see Zoe kiss the pilot from the corner of her eye; it surprised her, they seemed like opposite ends of the spectrum, yet she could tell they were happy. It made her stomach fill with acid, and her heart burst with want and need.

Mal stared after the ship. He didn't believe it was luck, or favour from a god; he believed that there was always something bad to follow something good that happened – it usually did. After all, Malcolm Reynolds never had an inch of fortune without a metre of suffering and pain in addition to it.

As he stared over at the new addition to his crew, he couldn't help but wonder how much pain and suffering she would cause. Her eyes seemed to be filled with the same loneliness and loss his were when the War of Independence was lost; it brought nothing but trouble.

But maybe, his little albatross had brought him a sign of good fortune; he could use another hand that could actually shoot – he was sick of having to bring along the unpredictable Jayne.

'Yes,' he surmised 'maybe she could help,'

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><p>See you soon - review please =D<p> 


	4. Darlin'

It has been forever and for that, I am so, so sorry. I'd like to say it's because I've been so busy (it partly has) but it's also down to my terrible, terrible case of procrastination. Fortunately, I've remembered why I'm a Browncoat and season 6 of Castle has started so my muse is back. Once again, I apologise for the long wait, I'm already in the process of other chapters so hopefully we won't have to wait long for them. If anyone has any queries about anything e.g. plot not adding up, wanting to give creative input, I'd be happy to listen.  
>P.S It's set near the beginning events of Firefly (Patience and the Alliance) but Simon and River have been on board for a little bit longer already (say a month or two).<p>

Hope you enjoy, I look forward to any reviews or criticisms :D

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><p>When Kate had awoken, she had naively thought it had all been a dream. Clearly she'd had too much wine after seeing Rick with another woman. Her sub-conscious couldn't help but think of Rick, only it clearly zoned in on his Halloween costume of being a Space-Cowboy. And yet, despite her hopedelusion, she couldn't hear the usual noises of the city. She was used to the repetitive buzz of the New York traffic; the constant rush of people crossing paths and intermingling. Her apartment was never silent, her neighbours loud and unrelenting. The station had the steady sounds of typing, chatting and phones constantly ringing. Or like that time Rick, Esposito and Ryan had decided to have that computer chair race down the corridor - their laughter and shouts echoing across the entire precinct; until they landed right in front of Gates. Then the office was filled with muffled laughter and snorts.  
>Here, she could only hear the slow steady hum of the space ship. Here, in space, which she was still struggling to come to terms with, it was cold and unfeeling. The vibrations of the 'ship' kept her awake at night. Or was it the day? Did time really apply in space?<br>The idea of floating around surrounded by nothingness and mere infinity made Kate shudder. She was out of her comfort zone. She was accustomed to hunting down bad guys and putting them away behind bars. Here she was without cause, without reason. Though, she suspected that Reynolds was hardly an example of a perfect law-abiding citizen. Clearly he and his crew were enshrined in some form of illegal business, judging by their suspicions when they had discovered her gun.

While thinking about the ragtag group, Kate couldn't quite decide if the Captain, Reynolds was insane or not - in that sense he was even more similar to Rick. She'd overheard his conversation with Zoe. They were approaching business with a woman of the name 'Patience'. Said woman apparently shot Reynolds - a fact he didn't seem perturbed by. If she didn't know any better, Kate would have assumed the Captain was insane - a man without common sense.  
>But the more she mulled over this subject, the more complex the man became. She'd seen the tender look he'd given Kaylee during the 'reaver' situation, which quickly turned to distrust when his eyes landed on her. They had a haunted look within them, a sea of despair and misery. Kate had seen that look before - in Esposito when he spoke of his experiences as a sniper (which was rare). She'd seen it in herself every time she looked in the mirror, her dead eyes staring back and darting at every loud noise.<br>She wondered how long she'd be allowed to stay aboard the spaceship under Captain Reynolds' hospitality. Were it not for the girl, River, Kate knew she'd have been thrown overboard in a heartbeat. Which begged the question, why did the girl vouch for her? Or more importantly, how did she get here? Castle would have come up with a billion ludicrous and impossible theories, yet Kate still yearned for a logical explanation.  
>'You've got to start somewhere Kate,' she murmured to herself.<p>

She rose from the hard bed she'd been resting on. After the close encounter with the 'reavers', she'd been escorted to a 'bunk' as Kaylee had called it. Adrenaline had coursed through her veins, leading Kate to think she wouldn't ever find sleep in this unfamiliar world. The constant hum of the ship had left her tossing and turning for a while until inevitable exhaustion caught up with her.  
>She flattened her hands down her slept-in button-up shirt, smoothing out creases for all the good it did. Her heeled boots were definitely impractical in space, particularly when climbing up the ladder rungs.<br>The hum of the engine got louder as she made her way up one of the long twining corridors. She tried to stifle her annoyance at how similar every inch of the ship looked to her. The constant hum was slowly intruded upon by loud shouts and hysteric laughter. Kate followed the noise, feeling like Alice making her way through the unknown world of Wonderland.  
>The narrow corridor slowly blended into a huge hangar. Kate supposed it was intended to store cargo. She briefly recalled meeting Reynolds for the first time here. Glimpsing into those harsh eyes, and seeing his hardened face. Right now said face was lightened with laughter, as he and his crew played something alike to basketball. Only it seemed to have no clear rules - Kaylee was sat upon the pilot's shoulders giggling as she threw the ball into the net. Kate couldn't help but compare the crew to her own back at the precinct; the closeness, the shared secrets and humour. Did they even know she was missing?<br>Kate was knocked out of her thoughts by the heavy breathing lurking behind her. She turned, only to stumble back into the metallic railings beside her when the huge ape of a man purposely banged his meaty fist against the thick wall. Kate felt the heaviness settle on her chest, the increased movement of her heart and the shaky shuddering spasms her hands made. She hated feeling weak, feeling helpless against a past event. Yet the man, Jayne, seemed to revel in it.

'Yeah, definitely got the look of an Alliance whore 'bout you. Got that same scared look in your eyes,' he said raucously.

The others below them stared upwards, Reynolds placed his hands on his belt in a cautionary manner. Jayne, and Kate hadn't noticed.  
>Kate stilled her shaking hands, knowing better than to show further weakness to this animal. She straightened her back and gave him her 'interrogation stare'. The one Castle said could scare any man into confessing his innermost secrets and sins. It seemed to work, Jayne took a step back, his Adam's apple moving ever-so-slightly.<p>

'Look, I already told you that I'm not Alliance. Actually I don't have a clue in Hell where I am or how I got here,' she took a deep breath 'If you don't believe that, that's fine by me. But just leave me the Hell alone and we won't have an issue,' Kate let out a breath, her eyebrows furrowing in anger.

'Oh yeah? what if we got an issue then, huh?' the brute questioned her, his wide hand reaching for her.  
>Kate acted on mere instinct and reflex, her smaller yet strong hands gripping onto his wrist, twisting on it until they could both almost hear his bones groaning in agony.<p>

'_**Go tsao de **_woman, let go of my gorram wrist,' he roared, his other hand curling into a wrecking-ball fist aiming to break her jaw or inflict other serious damage. It was stopped by none other than Captain Reynolds.  
>'Enough,' he spoke, and just that one word made Kate drop Jayne's hand - he spoke with the same authority as Gates did.<p>

'She needs to be tossed off this boat right now Mal,' Jayne exploded, his hands flailing wildly.

'Last I checked, this wasn't your boat to give orders on,' Mal warned, his dark eyes narrowing dangerously.

'C'mon Mal, she's crazy - probably as crazy as that other she-devil we got on board. She needs to leave. God only knows why you've kept her 'round for this long,' he ranted.  
>Mal placed his hands dangerously close to the gun hanging from his slanted belt.<p>

'Jayne, your mouth is talking. You might wanna look to that,' he warned.

Jayne had the sense to stalk out of the room, grumbling loudly as he disappeared from their sights.  
>Kate self-consciously tucked a stray curl behind her ear, glancing into Reynolds' eyes shyly. His eyes were boring into hers, making a slow journey up and down - from her auburn head to her leather-clad feet.<br>She felt her cheeks heat up, Kate had to remind herself that this wasn't Rick. That she didn't know this dangerous man, whose eyes were glancing precariously low.  
>'Pretty sure I told you not to make trouble,' he said, the slightest hint of an amused smirk flashing across his lined face.<p>

'And I'm pretty sure you know that I wasn't the one making the trouble,' she answered back, hands placed on her hips.

Mal shrugged, leaning against the railing 'Needed to talk anyhow,' he drawled. 'Takin' you with me and Zoe when we land on Whitefall.'  
>Kate's eyes widened, her throat tightening. Was he planning on leaving her there, with no way of getting off the planet? Did he plan on disposing of her?<p>

'Why?' she voiced her worry and suspicion, that one sentence making her perceptions of him complicate further.

'Need another set of eyes, need to know if you can be trusted,' he answered truthfully.

Kate figured it would be in order to test her, she just didn't know why.

'Why not just kill me? You think I'm Alliance,' she spoke with hidden fury.

Mal's lips upturned 'You don't know me. But if I ever intend on killing you darlin' you'll be awake and you'll be armed with that pretty lil gun of your's,' he finished.

Kate couldn't help but shake her head at this man's odd honour code. 'So different from Rick,' she thought, her eyes wandering over Reynolds. He was lean compared to Rick's comfortable physique, hardened by rations, war and the brutality of living on the edge for so long. His shirt was of coarse wool a comparison to Rick's soft, expensive work shirts. His cream pants were held up by braces of which he gripped the tops of carelessly. He held a similar playful look to Rick's at points,

Kate had no doubt that Reynolds could have any woman he wanted.

'Where is Whitefall?' she asked, wanting the awkward tension to disappear.

'Fourth moon of Athens, owned mostly by a woman of the name Patience. Not that you'd have a clue - seeing as you're from the past,' his voice had risen by the end, showing his lack of belief for her situation. Something Kate considered laughable considering he lived in a reality where spaceships and high-tech equipment existed.  
>Kate rolled her eyes 'The woman who shot you?' she asked, knowing it would aggravate him ever so slightly.<br>As she had hoped, Reynolds frowned spouting some form of Chinese.

'Does everyone on my gorram boat have a problem? It was one time,' he sighed, running hands through his messy hair. 'No matter, gotta go tell Wash to change course - Beaumonde can wait.'  
>'Be ready, and see Zoe for some clothes,' he added, eyeing her clothes critically.<p>

'Make sure _you're_ ready Reynolds. Don't want to be getting shot at again,' she warned, walking past him to head back to her bunk.

Mal chuckled 'Back at you darlin',' he murmured.

Kate was glad he didn't say her name, she didn't think she could handle it coming from the doppelgänger.  
>Despite the joking between the two, Kate knew Reynolds was nowhere near trusting her. Only time would tell if she would ever earn his trust. 'Or maybe I'll be back home before that happened' she mused.<p>

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><p>Well, hope you liked it. I'd love to hear any feedback :)<p> 


	5. Cherries

I'd have updated a couple of days ago, but I had issues with my laptop. This is the last chapter in Mal's perspective - mainly because I find his character fascinating and wanted to give some insight into what he was thinking/feeling whilst interacting with Kate. Next chapter should be up within the week. I'd love to hear any feedback or criticisms - any ideas you might have or improvements I could make in regards to keeping Mal and Kate in character.  
>Also, I'd like to thank JustAnotherCaskettFan for their review, they make my day :)<p>

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><p>Mal's day had gotten off to a rough start, though it was nothin' new in regards to the Captain. He had woken up groggily, having slept terribly throughout the night. Within minutes of pulling on his pants and making himself look half presentable, he was to sit down through a torturous conversation with his first mate and pilot. Said conversation was concerning how their ends weren't currently meeting anything.<p>

'Sir, I just don't see the profit in goin' to Beaumonde,' Zoe voiced her concerns, glancing at her husband for support, gaining only a grin and thumbs up in return.  
>Mal had frowned at that, sure they were runnin' on next to nothin' but what other choice did he have?<p>

'I appreciate the concern Zoe, but it's not needed,' he spoke with authority 'Badger ain't inclined to take our cargo, and I don't see no other option.'  
>He voiced that slight doubt to his first officer, silencing any further words by standing and walking right out of the cockpit.<p>

His morning had worsened by breakfast. Their new passenger was still in her bunk, 'probably sleeping off her time travellin',' Mal humoured himself. The doc had made the meal - some form of processed meat and powdered eggs. On any other morning, Mal would have been perfectly content to lean back in his rickety chair to watch his crew. The yellow paint contrasting with the metallic components of Serenity usually made him smile with satisfaction. The tiny flowers decorating the room practically screamed of Kaylee's handiwork. It was a homely ship, one Mal could see himself on for years to come 'If the Alliance don't kill us all first,' he pondered pessimistically.

Mal was used to Jayne spitting out more food than he wolfed down. He was used to the way Kaylee would stare love-struck at the pretty-boy doc. What he wasn't used to was having his breakfast overturned into his lap by the stark-raving mad girl he had though had finally started to see sense. After biting back several ungentlemanly retorts, Mal found his way back to his bunk.

He'd received a transmission from none other than Patience. The woman hadn't changed a bit, her eyes still beady and full of suspicion. Without a doubt her hair had greyed, and her face had lines that weren't once as noticeable. She'd spoken to Badger about the cargo, and seemed mighty polite. Mal knew it meant she had something in store for him. Whatever it was, he would be ready for it.

The last he'd seen of her she'd shot him and tried to take all of his money. Yet, he and his were in the market for quick and easy business with no questions asked. So he accepted the deal, letting bygones be bygones. He was to head to Whitefall to drop off the cargo that'd been stewing in his smuggler passage for quite a while now. Patience was a wily old fox, but she was less dangerous than the people he'd have had to deal with on Beaumonde in order to make profit. Zoe had agreed with him stoically before going forth to the task of cleaning her weaponry.

Things had been looking up, so he'd spent the next couple of hours playing ball with the crew. 'Nothin' better than a happy crew, 'cept money of course,' he mused, grinning savagely as he elbowed Jayne in the mouth in order to steal the ball.

The game had continued for a while, Mal lost himself in the screeches and crazed laughter. He almost missed Jayne trying to intimidate the woman.  
>Mal frowned in mild confusion when she'd stumbled back after Jayne hit the wall. 'Didn't seem like the woman to be provoked,' he pondered, his hands resting on his belt instinctively. He instantly backtracked when she gripped Jayne's wrist in a harsh firm manner.<p>

Mal had to move quickly to stop Jayne from smashing his other hand into the woman's pretty face. He'd even shown his patient side (for a time) by being able to listen to a good amount of Jayne's babbling until (in perfect Mal manner) he snapped:

'Jayne, your mouth is talking. You might want to look to that,' he growled in exasperation.

As he expected, the man backed down - stomping away.

His eyes immediately landed on the woman, he watched as her soft, small (yet confirmed to be strong) hand brushed away a stray auburn curl out of her face. Her eyes met his in an almost shy manner that made Mal want to grin at the ridiculity of.

He couldn't help but explore her figure going down from the wide long-lashed eyes, to her small nose to her soft (at least that's what he thought) plump lips. Her creased shirt clung to her curved frame, making Mal wonder what she looked like beneath it. Or better yet, what she'd look like beneath him. She was still wearing her ludicrous footwear, but Mal supposed it made her look even more domineering. Her eyes caught his stare, widening as if she knew what he was thinking.

'Pretty sure I told you not to make trouble,' he mocked, his lips moving upwards of their own accord.

She scowled, her cheeks flushing wildly. Mal had to admit, she looked mighty pretty - 'specially when she was mad.

'And I'm pretty sure you know that I wasn't the one making the trouble,' she retorted, her hands moving to her hips.

He shrugged and leaned back casually, 'Need to talk anyhow.'

'Takin' you with me and Zoe when we land on Whitefall,' he spoke, noting her shocked expression.

'Why?' her voice going up in pitch.

'Need another set of eyes, need to know if you can be trusted,' he replied, and it was the truth. River had said she could be trusted, but Mal had to be certain.

Especially now the psychic was going off the rails again. Plus, he wanted to see just how capable this tough woman was.

'Why not just kill me, you think I'm Alliance,' she muttered lowly.

She was partly right, Malcolm Reynolds had been stabbed (and shot) in the back too many times for him not to question and suspect this woman. Most perceived Mal to be of a simple mind - making deals when evidence suggested foul play (like with Patience) yet Mal had never rid himself of the paranoia and survival skills that fighting in the war for Independence gave him. He was constantly alert for anyone threatening him and his.

Yet, 'You don't know me. But if I ever intend on killing you darlin' you'll be awake and you'll be armed with that pretty lil gun of yours,' he finished.

He noted the way she gazed at him, taking in every inch. But he knew it wasn't out of lust or actual interest (he didn't know if he should be disappointed at that). 'Probably thinkin' of that other man, the one she mistook me for,' he supposed. The desperation he'd seen in her eyes when he had harshly told her he wasn't the man she'd called out for almost made him regret his cruelty. She interrupted his line of thought:

'Where's Whitefall?' she questioned, her eyes lighting up with wild curiosity.

'Fourth moon of Athens, owned mostly by a woman of the name Patience, not that'd you have a clue - seeing as you're from the past,' he replied, still sceptical over her arrival on his boat. Yet she'd ignored the barb.

'The woman who shot you?' she asked, the know-it-all look women all intrinsically knew and used on men they deemed stupid.

He frowned, cursing 'Does everyone on my gorram boat have a problem? It was one time,' he sighed running his hands through his hair. 'No matter, gotta go tell Wash to change course - Beaumonde can wait.'

'Be ready, and see Zoe for some clothes,' he finished, eyeing her flattering, yet conspicuous and impractical clothing.

She narrowed her eyes 'Make sure _you're_ ready Reynolds. Don't want to be getting shot at again,' she quipped, strolling past him.

'Back at you darlin',' he murmured, inhaling the odd smell of cherries wafting towards his nostrils. It was pleasing, different to the iron smell of the ship, the sterilised air of the medic bay or Inara's strong incense. He hadn't smelt actual genuine cherries since he'd been a young 'un growing up on the ranch with his mother.

He made a note to keep an eye on his newly acquired passenger. 'Won't be pullin' no Alliance tricks or womanly wiles on me,' he stated quietly, making his way to the cockpit; his rough hands caressed the smooth texture of his boat, like the gentle touch of an old lover. 

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><p>Hope I kept Mal in character, and that you enjoyed this chapter. Reviewscriticisms would be appreciated :)


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